There are three givens in this conference to date: Florida and Alabama will win, and Vanderbilt will lose. The rest is just a bloody mess, which is entertaining, if nothing else.

Alabama. The Tide offense looks less shaky than Florida’s, so that’s why I moved ‘Bama to #1. In reality, it’s still a 1 and 1-A situation, though.

Florida. I have this nagging feeling that Arkansas’ defense is still pretty lousy. That’s not a good thing for Florida to consider.

LSU. Sometimes, no news is good news. It’s time for the Tigers to step it up. The good thing for LSU is that they still have Alabama left on the schedule against which they can prove themselves. Of course, the bad thing is that they still have Alabama left on the schedule.

South Carolina. I’d really prefer to leave this slot blank. There isn’t a team in the SEC worthy of being called fourth-best right now. They get it by virtue of a good win over Mississippi, but they’d better beat another decent team soon.

Ole Miss. Their resume isn’t better than the ‘Cocks, but their defense surpasses any team’s not yet mentioned.

Arkansas. Their moral victory against Florida was better than Tennessee’s, so that’s why they’re here.

Tennessee. Let’s see how they fare against Alabama, shall we?

Georgia. Could be the next beneficiary of the bye week bounce. The Dawgs showed a pulse against Vandy, but still have more question marks than any team in the conference.

Kentucky. These guys lose starters and play better. At the rate the ‘Cats are going, it could be a helluva November.

Auburn. With Todd coming back to earth, it feels like the wheels are starting to come off the wagon.

Mississippi State. I heart Anthony Dixon.

Vanderbilt. When your quarterback can’t take advantage of Georgia’s defensive largesse, you know he’s bad. It feels like it’s only going to get worse for this team. If that’s possible.